Tableland in the U.S. that forms the western section of the Appalachian Mountains and a part of the Allegheny Plateau.
It extends southwest for 450 mi (725 km) from southern West Virginia to northeastern Alabama, averages 50 mi (80 km) in width, and is 2,000–4,145 ft (600–1,263 m) high. The roughest and highest portion is a narrow ridge about 140 mi (225 km) long that forms its eastern margin in eastern Kentucky and northeastern Tennessee; the name Cumberland Mountains is generally applied to this area, which includes the Cumberland Gap National Historical Park . The plateau has large deposits of coal, limestone, and sandstone.